


Fur and Self-Loathing

by honestgrins



Series: Waiting [4]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-12 21:23:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4495236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hearing that Caroline the neat-freak adopted a dog confused Stefan. Seeing that she, in fact, found herself caring for two dogs, three cats, a chinchilla and a fish absolutely stymied him. </p>
<p>Part of "Waiting," a series of Steroline/Belvafore drabbles between TVD Seasons 6 and 7.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fur and Self-Loathing

Shaking his head, Matt walked into the Lockwood mansion with an expression of utter bemusement. He prayed his temporary roommate was home as he called out, "Stefan?"

"Hey, Matt," the vampire answered from the sitting room. The open journal in front of him was frustratingly blank, and Stefan was glad for any distraction Matt could offer. Seeing the worry on the blond's face, though, promised more trouble than mere distraction. "What's wrong?"

"I just saw Caroline walking a dog about three times her size," Matt said. "Is this a thing you guys do, keep a pet for an in-home blood bag?"

Stefan tried not to feel insulted, being well aware of Matt's sensitivities to vampires. "No," he said calmly. "Maybe she was walking it for someone." Though he had tried to give Caroline the space she needed, Stefan had also noticed her taking on more errands and favors for the good people of Mystic Falls. He had just chalked it up to her searching for good karma.

"I didn't recognize the dog from the neighborhood," Matt rebutted. "I waved her over, but she blatantly ignored me. That normally means she's hiding something, which normally means she's embarrassed." Caroline had always been an open book with her friends, so Matt was concerned that she would actively shut him out.

Already grabbing his keys from the front table, Stefan nodded. "I'll go check on her, see if there's something going on," he promised.

* * *

As Stefan approached the Forbes house, he felt the nerves that always came just before seeing Caroline. The nerves were quickly replaced by confusion when he heard barking coming from inside the house. "Caroline," he called, letting himself in.

"Stefan," she answered, coming down the stairs with her arms full of a large, orange cat. "Hi. What are you doing here?"

"Matt saw you with a dog, so I thought I'd check in. Why do you have a cat?"

Caroline struggled to stammer out an answer, only to have another cat race by her feet, followed by a yapping chihuahua. 

Squinting, Stefan took in the little dog that had abandoned its chase to nip at his shoes. "I thought Matt said it was a big dog," he said slowly, turning at the sudden bellows coming from the kitchen."

"Yeah," Caroline answered, uncertainty plain on her face. "Fluffy can't have free rein of the house, he's just too big for me to trust around the nice furniture. That's Killer," she said, pointing to the tiny dog. Shrugging to indicate the orange cat, she continued, "This is Ginger, and Roscoe over there is fond of pestering Killer into chasing him."

"Gorgeous," Enzo's voice floated from a room upstairs, "am I supposed to keep Millicent from achieving her goal of eating Tom and Swish, or allow her to fulfill her primal hunter role?"

"Bring Millicent down with you," Caroline called. "She can go in the kitchen with Fluffy, since they lived together and all."

"Caroline," Stefan almost yelled, at a loss as to why Caroline's house was flooded with animals and Enzo. "What is going on?"

"Umm," Caroline hummed. "Well, it's only temporary, I swear."

Stefan just stared, waiting for the rest of the story.

Enzo, however, couldn't resist a disruption. "Oh, hello Stefan," he said smugly as he carried a third cat down the stairs. "Come to assist your damsel with her makeshift shelter?"

"Her what," Stefan asked, incredulous at the sight before him. "Caroline, where did all these animals come from?"

Handing off the orange cat to Enzo, Caroline pushed the older vampire toward the kitchen. "Go lock them in with Fluffy, and try to limit the damage," she ordered. As Enzo complied, Caroline turned back to Stefan with squared shoulders. "We killed people."

Head cocked to the side, Stefan's gaze softened. "I know," he said.

"We killed people," Caroline repeated, "and we left more than just their families feeling the loss. I visited parents, roommates, siblings, and I asked if there was anything I could do to help. Pets were a burden, but they didn't have the heart to give them away, so I'm doing it. I'm finding homes for all of them."

"Caroline, how did-"

"I compelled the families to forget me and to think the pets were adopted by friends," she quickly answered. "I can't do anything to bring back our victims, but I can give their pets good homes. It's the least I can do."

Stefan nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets so they didn't reach for hers. "Okay," he said. "What can I do?"

* * *

They worked for days.

Caroline focused on applicants from local shelters, thoroughly matching animal to potential owner. Stefan took over feedings and exercise, while Enzo just riled the pets up and played with them like a kid. The men were tense around each other, still not having warmed to the other's presence in Caroline's house. The blonde just glared at whichever vampire was being the pettiest at the time.

"Can you guys shut up," she snapped one afternoon as Stefan actually poked Enzo in the chest. "I'm not holding the phone up to my ear for decoration, I'm trying to set up a time for this lovely woman to come meet Fluffy. He's a big ball of cuddly destruction, and I need to give him his best chance, which I can't do with two idiots having a pissing contest in the background."

Fluffy and Killer were fairly easy to send home with new owners, the dogs being friendly in nature. Millicent was still a smaller cat, and the family that took her home looked forward to watching her grow. Roscoe the cat and Tom the chinchilla were previous roommates, and Caroline didn't want to split them up. Luckily, an older couple was happy to take them both.

"That leaves Ginger and Swish," Enzo said, carrying Swish in his fishbowl. The betta was a bit alarmed at the motion, his fins flashing dangerously. "You've been at this for nearly a week, Gorgeous. How about I take this little guy off your hands?"

The blonde looked at Enzo appraisingly. "You'll take care of him," she asked. "Get him a real tank? Clean it properly? Love him dearly?"

Rolling his eyes, Enzo nodded. "Of course," he promised, hand over his heart. 

"And I get visiting rights in case I need a dose of righteous guilt?"

"No," Stefan interrupted, coming out of the kitchen. "Caroline, you did this to help deal with your guilt. It's not supposed to hang over your head forever."

Caroline snorted in derision. "Of course it is," she protested before waving Enzo off. "Take Swish and protect him from the world."

Giving a surprisingly sincere smile, Enzo leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Thanks, Gorgeous." His smile turned to a smirk as he passed a glowering Stefan, making his final exit.

"You let him bother you too much," Caroline said with a soft smile. "And he's rescuing Swish, so we should be grateful to him."

Stefan shook his head at her "Caroline logic," but moved to sit next to her on the couch. "I don't think I can ever be grateful to Enzo, or happy that he's so...close to you," Stefan said mulishly. "But I'm glad you have a friend to support you, even if it's Enzo."

"Does that mean you won't support me in finding a home for Ginger," she asked, reaching for the orange cat milling about her feet. Caroline cuddled with the cat, the content easily visible in her expression.

"I don't know," Stefan said gently, rubbing behind Ginger's ear. "It seems like she's pretty happy here, and I think you liked having all the animals around."

"I did," Caroline whispered conspiratorially. "It was very therapeutic, but I don't know if I can take care of another living thing if I can't even deal with my own crap."

Stefan smiled, reaching for the cat. When Caroline cradled her closer instead, his smile grew. "Maybe Ginger will help you deal," he posed. "And I'll be here, too."

"Yeah," Caroline asked, tentatively meeting his eyes. "You don't think I'm crazy?"

"I think," Stefan said, tucking a blonde curl behind her ear, "I think you're taking each day as it comes, and that you have all this love in your heart that you don't know how to give anymore. And I think Ginger could use some of that love." Stefan stroked her hair, not wanting to continue his speech on how Caroline could use her love. He could only hope that she figured that part out herself.

"Okay," she said, hugging the cat a bit tighter, though her eyes never left Stefan's. "Welcome home, Ginger."

 

 


End file.
